Love Unwrapped

by Kate Asher

  “How on earth did I end up in the van with you?” Andi buckled her seat belt as she looked out the window toward the back of the bakery where Bree and Ryan waved and walked back inside. “One minute you’re headed out to meet Grams at the venue, and the next I’m here with you.” She shook her head in disbelief.

  Blake laughed. “Yeah. I’m not sure what they were attempting. But our friends have interesting ideas about what makes a good plan.” He glanced over to her, meeting her eyes for a fleeting moment before he backed the van out of its spot and headed down the alleyway to the main road. “Besides, when you’ve made up your mind about something, it sticks. And you’ve certainly made up your mind about me. You hate me and what’s done is done.”

  Andi gave a quiet harrumph. Then she snuck a glance his way, which he saw from his peripheral vision as he eased the nose of the van out of the alley slowly enough that pedestrians on the sidewalk would see him coming. “I don’t hate you.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t even really know you. I mean, Ryan has been talking about you all day, telling stories about your life. Since lunch it’s been the all-Blake channel in there.”

  “He has? Learn anything interesting?” He nearly groaned at the thought. His friend better not have told her anything embarrassing. Lord knew, Ryan knew where all the bodies were buried.

  “Well, I didn’t know you’d learned how to bake from your grandmother. And that the recipes you use are hers.” She glanced his direction and he smiled her way. “I also didn’t know you’d been a SEAL and that you were medically discharged after an incident while attempting to defuse a bomb.” She rubbed her forehead and looked out the passenger window. “I’ll admit there’s a lot I don’t know about you other than the hell you put me through in high school and how you got my sister in trouble just after we graduated.”

  “Me?” Me? She had to be joking. Blake laughed loudly. “You might want to check your story on that too. I had no idea what she was up to until the police pulled us over and dragged me out of my car. I was too naïve.” He shook his head as he drove toward the venue. “I still can’t believe I had to join the military and she had to do twenty hours of community service. Don’t get me wrong. Joining the navy was the best thing that happened to me. But at the time, bitter didn’t begin to cover my emotions for your sister…or you, for that matter.”

  “Me?” She echoed his indignation with her question. “What did I do?”

  “You refused to see how much I liked you.”

  “You liked me?” She shifted, dragging a knee up on the bench seat so she could face him more directly. “What on earth are you talking about? You pulled my braids the first time I saw you and it went downhill from there. The teasing and harassment were never-ending. I thought when you started dating my sister that you’d leave me alone. But then you were just everywhere I was.” She shook her head at him.

  “I never dated your sister.”

  “Sure you did. All through senior year, up till when you got her arrested.” She waved her hand as if he were being dense.

  “Nope. Never happened. Nat saw I had a thing for you and said we could be friends if I drove her places. Hanging out with her was an opportunity to be near you. That’s it.”

  “Are you serious? That makes no sense. My sister hated being around me. I never hung out with her. You couldn’t think that would work. You’re lying.” Andi had her head turned to the left, staring at him as if trying to understand Sanskrit on an ancient etching.

  “Well, hindsight is twenty-twenty, Princess.”

  He saw her bristle at the endearment. He used it to bait her and he had no idea why it had come out of his mouth.

  After an audible sigh, he said, “I apologize. I didn’t mean it. Something about you and the past raises my hackles so easily. You’ve always had that effect.”

  She made a non-committal noise and faced the front again. They remained quiet on the rest of their way to the venue, but Blake couldn’t help but think some of their animosity stemmed from misunderstanding the other person. Ryan had thawed her ice and whittled away at her pre-conceived notions. She always seemed irritated by him, but she was drawn to verbally spar with him whenever he was within shouting distance. He was man enough now to admit he’d pushed her buttons intentionally. Maybe it was time to push other buttons and see if they had the chemistry he’d hoped they’d had when he’d been a teenager.

  Blake took his missions seriously as a SEAL, and this time, as a civilian, was no different. Ryan was correct. He was ready to plot out an attack plan. Only in this case, they wouldn’t be bringing down the bad guy when he stormed the compound. He’d bring down that damn wall they’d built between them. If nothing was there, then so be it. But he wouldn’t spend another ten years wondering what-if.

  ~~~

  Andi stalled. She knew exactly what she was doing, and it didn’t change a thing. She stood beside her grandmother, several steps into the front foyer of the senior center and listened as her grandmother regaled her in the most minor details of tomorrow’s event. Of course, her grandmother and friends had been working too hard. The event space looked marvelous, well planned and the bazaar going to be a huge hit. None of that was in question. What bothered her right now and kept her side by side with her grandmother was the man with his ass parked against the side of his delivery van, currently staring at her through the windows of the front entry.

  She had no way to know for real, yet she was one-hundred percent certain that he stood there staring at her to get further under her skin. It seemed such a Blake thing to do. “Honey, it’s dark outside. You don’t have to stay here with me. We’re just about ready. Get going. You’ve got more to do.”

  “I can send Blake back, and stay to help you.” She hoped that sounded like a gallant offer, not desperation making her thoughts erratic and actions clumsy.

  Her grandmother, who she now questioned if she’d ever truly loved her, said, “Of course we don’t need your help. This isn’t our first time doing this, but it is your first time to pack cookies. You’re not a natural, dear.”

  Her hopes were instantly dashed, but like normal, Andi didn’t take no easily. “All the more reason I stay and help. Besides, we’re almost done at the bakery. He’s got more than enough help…”

  “Andi, honey, I love you, but you’re bothering me. Please go.” Her grandmother reached for her arm, tugging her down for a quick kiss on the cheek before propelling her away and toward the front doors. “Go now.”

  That seemed enough of a goodbye. Andi turned back to see her grandmother going to her group of friends without a backward glance. Still Andi stayed there, her heart hammering, watching that little old lady’s curls bouncing as she walked away, leaving her stranded. This was too much. Andi’s chin hit her chest in defeat, the ends of her ponytail whipping forward and slapping her in the eyes, “Ouch!”

  She had a newfound hyperawareness of everything Blake Mangold, which absolutely stunk since she’d vowed to hate that man for the rest of her life. But everything she’d learned about him today from Ryan… The stories seemed to be on the up and up. And they didn’t jibe with what she knew about Blake. But how could she have been so wrong about him? It made no sense.

  She swiveled on the balls of her tennis shoes and let out the deep exhale before plodding her way toward the van. With each step, she stared at Blake, who stared abashedly right back. Her hunch said all Blake’s staring, sly touches, and his big body always being in her way were not because Andi had suddenly turned into the clumsiest person on the planet. He’d done it all on purpose to get in her space. Because he was interested, like he’d said? Or because he wanted to irritate her? Jury was still out.

  His charming smile and genuine kindness to all these senior citizens had them eating out of his hand. He never rushed anyone, remaining patient through every conversation about his grandmother and how excited they were that all her tasty cookies were back in the center. Those moments seemed genuine, not calculated in the least, just Blake
being a really great guy. Who knew he had all that inside him? Those exchanges were behind her true struggle to keep her back up against the man.

  Shoot, if she could just find something to kick, that would help.

  “Your chariot awaits,” Blake said, pushing his butt off the van, reaching for her door handle as she came out of the event center.

  “I can get my own door,” she snapped, and like every time they were in a situation that he should be listening to her and reading her irritation, he didn’t. Blake just smiled patiently and put his hand on her elbow to help her into the van. Instant goose bumps sprang to life on her arms, spreading like wildfire over her body, and she hurriedly jerked her arm away. “I get my doors, no one else. How many times do I have to tell you?”

  “At least once more,” he said, reaching for her seatbelt. She was certain that was done to tease her, and she yanked the strap out of his hand. His patience seemed endless. She just couldn’t figure out his motive. After he’d shut her door, she glared at him rounding the hood of the van, missing the buckle of the seatbelt in her attempt to fasten herself in. Her gaze never left him as she tried the buckle again. Blake looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. Andi guessed that with the way those ladies cooed all over him, he had to feel pretty proud of himself.

  She missed the buckle for the third time, forcing her to lower her gaze. Her normally steady hands were trembling as the driver’s side door opened. Oh God, it was happening. She fisted her hands and turned her face to the side window, staring out at the dark night. She was attracted to Blake. What a horrible occurrence. She could scream her irritation with her horrible taste in men. This would never do.

  “We got a request for pizza. But I think we took too long because she just called back to say they’d called in an order. Bree said she knew what you liked. We’re picking it up on our way back.”

  She said nothing as she tried to understand how this had happened. Why were her feelings toward that awful man beginning to soften? She closed her eyes, rested her chin in her hand, assessing her body’s very visceral reaction. The shortness of breath, the tingle prickling her skin, and that tell-tale warmth building between her legs… Not good. She bet her nipples were tight and reached for her T-shirt, pulling room in the front. Yeah, that wasn’t good at all. No, she’d blame that on the briskness of the night air. She hadn’t brought her jacket, thinking they’d be back at the shop earlier. But she’d created her own issue by delaying Grams and avoiding Blake.

  More absurdly, at some point she had decided she believed Blake—not necessarily about him having a four-year thing for her, but about his time with Nat. If Blake had had any interest in Andi, Nat would have sensed it and exploited it until she manipulated the situation and he was unknowingly driving the getaway car. Over the last ten years, her sister had stolen thousands of dollars’ worth of clothing, electronics, and money from Andi alone. Of course, Nat wouldn’t do the stand-up thing and tell the truth where Blake had been concerned all those years ago.

  Blake’s hand landed on her knee, jerking her out of her thoughts. She whipped her head around. Whatever look she gave finally broke through the unnatural calm that had taken over Blake’s personality since they’d first arrived. “I think that look’s about more than the idea of pizza.”

  “Stop touching me,” she snapped, pointedly staring at his hand still on her knee. She was keenly aware of the gentle squeeze he gave before removing his palm. “So you’re saying you want me to believe you pulled my hair like a kindergarten boy to gain my attention?”

  “You’re still thinking about that?”

  Apparently she was. Who knew? Her frustration built, blocking the attraction. Thank God. He made her unpredictable, and for someone who craved order, that was enough to get her back up. Blake took the turn from the parking lot to the road, giving her a side-eye in speculation.

  “Since I was little girl, I’ve tried to do the right thing. Nat was always the difficult one. She’d take my parents to the edge over and over again. I never saw you as attracted to me. All the girls in school thought you were so cute. Everyone was trying to get your attention, I don’t believe you wanted me like you said.” She shook her head. It made absolutely no sense.

  “I thought you were one of those intuitive attorneys. I guess not.” Blake seemed to pay her little attention as he swung the van in a sudden hard left turn, causing her to grip the dash and door handle to stay in place. His sloppy turn executed the perfect parking job, coming to a sudden stop right in front of The Pizza Joint, a local favorite in Sacramento. Andi looked out the front window to the festively decorated store front, all decked out in their Christmas finest—faded decorations she remembered from her childhood. Her stomach grumbled. She loved this place, but again, she wouldn’t be swayed from asking the hard questions that had plagued her all afternoon.

  “Blake, what happened to you when the bomb blew up? What does ‘bomb blowing up’ mean?”

  “Not having that conversation, Prin…” He stopped himself from saying the word. A giant smile took over his handsome face as he winked and opened the door before stepping out. He turned to face her where she still sat in the passenger seat. “Stopped myself. That should count as a point in my favor.”

  “I saw a scar under your sleeve the first day at the bakery. Is that from the explosion?” She rushed out the question before he could close the door on her.

  He lifted the edge of his T-shirt sleeve to let her see the drag-like scars across his skin. “These? Yeah, part of the thing I’m not talking about.”

  The scars were puckered, a light pink in his deeply tanned skin for as far as she could see, trailing toward his underarm. The van door shut her in face as he started around the hood in his annoying casual swagger, a strut he pulled off so well. When she realized he was coming around toward her side of the vehicle, she scrambled to shove open the door, darting out, the seatbelt still locked in place. She barely had the thing unlocked and off her shoulder before her feet hit the ground. Andi ignored his indulgent smile as he lifted both his hands in surrender, clearly understanding he was not to touch her door. Man, he was annoying. She ignored him and started for the front door of The Pizza Joint, feeling victorious in some tiny way.

  Had she looked, she might have been able to avoid the large puddle before her foot plopped down, sinking into the muddy water. She expelled several outraged huffs, her hands flying in the air in her disgust as she tried to avoid her second foot having the same fate. She lost her balance, and the flying hands became flailing hands as her panic became real. The ground came up fast as she pitched forward. Andi closed her eyes and tried to turn her head, hoping she wouldn’t execute a complete face plant on the sidewalk. Seconds before the inevitable impact, her entire body became weightless. Strong arms grabbed her, flipped her, and she came to rest, cradled in Blake’s arms.

  “Oh,” she gasped and reached out, holding on to him, looking down at the ground, making sure they were out of harm’s way.

  “You okay?” Blake said, taking several steps the other direction and her head whipped around, her ponytail following. She was inches from him. Adrenaline pounded her heart and a puff of breath hit Blake square in the face.

  “I didn’t see it.”

  “Are you okay?” Her panicked gaze slid to the sound of bells banging nearby. She tracked the noise to the front of the store as a man in a dirty apron hurried forward and other patrons came out.

  “We should’ve blocked this off. I told you it was dangerous,” a woman said. Her words started an instant argument with the man in the apron, and Andi turned back to Blake.

  “You okay? I grabbed you pretty hard,” Blake said, holding her like she weighed nothing.

  “I thought I was a goner. I didn’t see the puddle.”

  “It’s more like a lake. I didn’t really see it either,” he explained, his grip tightening around her, pulling her snuggly against his body. His heart pounded against her shoulder, matching her own. The stare hel
d between them.

  “You two come inside.” The woman from before instructed. “Your pizza’s on us. Hal should’ve blocked off that area like I told him too.”

  Chapter 8

  The man in the apron shooed everyone back inside the restaurant as the woman came over to them. She had on a nametag that said Martha. She fluttered around them, clearly worried. “Come. Come. Inside with you. We’ll get you cleaned up.”

  Andi had scared the crap out of him when he’d seen her headed for the ground. Then when he’d saved her from the pavement, he’d breathed a sigh of relief, but that relief was short-lived as his body acknowledged how right she felt in his arms. When she whipped around to face him, he’d nearly forgotten himself and kissed her. The woman from the pizzeria had brought him back to the present, and while Andi was safe now, Blake was loathe to set her back on her feet. He’d rather keep her snuggled against him, enjoying her wiggling warmth.

  “You can let me down now.” Andi, who seemed to gather herself quicker than him, pushed against his shoulders.

  Blake sought any reason to keep her exactly where she was. He glanced around and caught sight of her foot. He nodded that way to direct her attention there. “You’re a mess. You can’t walk through the restaurant, dragging mud with you.” He patted himself on the back for his reasonableness. He couldn’t wait to see her argue that point.

  Martha, still hovering beside them and ushering them slowly toward the door of the restaurant, said, “We’ve got a private staff bathroom in the back office. You can get cleaned up there. All the employees do. Tomato sauce happens, you know.” She let out a belly laugh at what must have been a running joke. “Come. Come. We’ll fix you right up.”